Years of bad decisions concerning downtown Butler have made it what it is today. Those bad decisions range from building the county prison downtown to failing to preserve some of the businesses that made the town unique. A stop at the Hog Dog Shoppe was always a must when I made a visit to Butler during the years I lived outside the area. The city should have made some effort to preserve that landmark. On that topic, what happened to the beer brewery that was going to be built where the Hot Dog Shoppe once stood? The building on West Jefferson Street was razed, the marble facade material stolen or sold — and that was it. The Penn Theater is falling further into decay, then it, too, will fall victim to the wrecking ball — or simply fall down like the Woolworth’s building. Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center was sacrificed so that the county commissioners could build a Taj Mahal next to the county government center. Now they are talking about privatizing the prison. I thought Butler County was going to make money by taking prisoners from other jails or state prisons that did not have the room. Now the city wants to raise the fees for the yearly events still held in Butler. Are they mad? They will drive those people away, too. It’s not like those events have no other option about where to go, most of which are probably cheaper and with better parking and less congestion.